Employee development is an important aspect of growing your business. But is it really something that will enhance your staff’s experience and be worth their time. Not only will their training enhance their experience, it will improve your company’s productivity. There are a few things to consider before implementing a training program to ensure that everyone has equal access to training and will benefit from it. Here are things to consider.

It decreases turnover

Your staff wants to increase their knowledge base, but if you don’t offer it, they will find that kind of career development with someone else. If you are able to provide them training in a variety of things that will enhance their experience, they are far more likely to be loyal to you in the future. You will also have less turnover based on someone lacking the skills to perform their job at the highest level.

It demonstrates that you care

And, while their increased knowledge will serve your company, it will also show that you care about them as individuals. You want to ensure that each member of your staff has personalized training that is appropriate for their skill set as well as their future goals. When an employee feels valued, they will also perform to meet your highest standards.

It will improve your business

When your staff better understands their own job or improve their skills to be able to handle more functions, your business will only see a positive increase in your businesses overall performance, as well as the performance of each staff member. When both you and your employees have benefits, not only will the training improve performance but also the satisfaction.

It will make employees more flexible

If you have a more knowledgeable team, you will also find that they are more flexible in their roles. They will be able to pitch in if someone else is unable to do their job or if a special project needs attention. When they are more flexible, it also decreases the potential for burnout.

Have you considered your cover letter lately? It could be the reason your job search has stalled. This correspondence can set the tone for your entire job search, so it needs to be on point. The modern cover letter follows a specific format that allows employers to obtain the information they need to make a decision about their next move. You want to draw them into your story and entice someone to contact you based on what you can bring to the table. Here are three ways you can format your cover letter to be ahead of your competition.

1. Get to the point.

Your job is not to extensively describe all of the many reasons they want to hire you. What you want to do is wet their appetite. You can save details of your accomplishments for the interview. Instead, start with a strong opening paragraph that will get their attention and make them want to learn more. To do this, the best strategy is to get right to the point. Let them know what you want, why you want it and what you can do to get it. Let them know how you can fit into their environment and what you can do for them. And do this all in two or three sentences.

2. Provide a notes area.

When recruiters or hiring managers are reading resumes, they like to keep all of their information in one place. Most will jot down notes right on your resume or cover letter while they’re talking with you on the phone, during an interview or as they are comparing information about the candidates. Invite them to do this on your cover letter by giving them space in the margins to easily write their thoughts down. Bring them in a little bit, but not too much as to make it obvious.

3. Sell yourself.

Finally, it is your one job to make the hiring manager know that you are the very best person to contact for this position. Use your cover letter as a way to pitch yourself. Ask questions. Provide information that will make them pick up the phone because you have shown the value you will bring to their company. And then, to seal the deal, include your contact information in the conclusion paragraph of the letter itself. This means they don’t have to look up anything to give you a call right away.

When you partner with Meador Staffing, you are gaining a career advisor. We will help you conduct an effective job search that matches your skill set and schedule. Contact our great team today to work with a leader in staffing in Clear Lake and throughout Texas.

You will probably never hear someone say they just want to work in their same job for the rest of their lives. Everyone imagines their career can climb the corporate ladder, and yet, not everyone does. So how can you focus your skills and ambitions to land that next promotion? Before you get started, consider these three tips that can get you from where you are now to where you want to be in your career and the future.

1. Be indispensable.

There is a fine line to walk here, but the bottom line is that you need to demonstrate that you are indispensable to your company. You want to position yourself as an expert at what you do so you are the first person your bosses and co-workers approach when dealing with a specific problem. However, don’t fall into the trap to make yourself so indispensable that you are unable to take days off or refuse to do certain tasks outside the scope of your normal position. Staying humble in this area is important as well. No company or employees want to deal with some who comes across as a know-it-all.

2. Be likable.

To land your next promotion, you also need to ensure that you are someone well liked in the office. It is rare for someone to grant a promotion to a person they dislike. You don’t have to be treated like a literal door mat, but building goodwill and having an amiable personality will help you go far within the company. Be someone well-liked by all levels of the organization. This can help establish and maintain a good reputation with the people who are likely to make the decisions to promote star performers in the future.

3. Be creative.

Someone who is creative and innovative is also likely to be considered over someone who just goes through the motions or follows all of the specific guidelines. Not only should you be creative in your own job, finding new and better ways of doing what you do, you should also have some innovative strategic thinking for the future of the company itself. Organizations want to promote people who have a vision that matches the overall success of the business as a whole. They like to see employees who are committed to helping the company grow, not just employees who do enough to complete their daily tasks.

When you’re rewarded with a promotion in your current company, what happens to your former co-workers? In many cases they become your new team, and you’re thrust into a management role over individuals with whom you’ve worked closely for some time. It is no surprise this can create tension in the workplace. How do you deal effectively with your new role as boss? Here are some tips you can follow to make the transition easier.

Acknowledge the change.

There is really no point in trying to pretend like nothing’s changed. Management is a very different type of position than general employment, and it is critical that you let everyone know that you are now in a position to supervise them. This acknowledgement, instead of insisting things will continue the same as before, is the first step in building trust with your former co-workers.

Communicate your expectations.

You also need to be clear in your communications with your new team. Setting expectations early about what is required and what is not appropriate will help set the tone long term. In this process, also make sure to give your team an opportunity to ask questions, offer suggestions and provide feedback. Utilize that information to ensure you are a positive force. Establishing guidelines will take time and should evolve. Finding a balance between your management style and what works for your team will take time.

Don’t rule like a dictator.

While you don’t want to continue to pretend things are business as usual once you’re in a supervisor role, you also shouldn’t completely alter your personality and start ruling with an iron fist. Micromanagement is one of the biggest complaints for employees, and they will view it as a direct betrayal when it comes from someone they recently saw as one of their peers.

Address resentment.

If anyone you work with does start to act resentful for the fact that you were promoted and they weren’t, address the issue. If you do not, things could spiral out of control. Their work could suffer and you could have additional conflicts. Talk to them about their feelings and be supportive. Ignoring the issue will lead to bigger problems down the road, either through an office argument or the employee leaving the office.

Create a new network.

Now that you are no longer in the same peer group, it is important that you find a network of other managers that can be your accountability group or mentors to help address your questions along the way. Talk to the individual who was in your role before you, if they are still with the company, or join management groups online to get feedback and help you with problems.

Meador Staffing works with some of the best employers across Texas, and we have access to a range of top jobs – many of which are not advertised elsewhere. Contact our great team of recruiters today to work with a top staffing agency in Houston TX and other locations in Texas.

Are management strategies really different between the generations in the workplace? Millennials, you’ve been told, have vastly different requirements than their older professional counterparts. You may have heard that you need to focus more on digital engagement, personal growth and collaboration. While these things are true, there are many similar characteristics that make managing millennials very similar to managing GenX or Baby Boomers. Here are some of the management skills that you need to cultivate to encourage success from millennials.

Transparency for decisions.

Regardless of the age of your employees, everyone who works for you wants to have a better understanding of the decisions that the management team makes. By being secretive or overly confidential, all you do is breed discontent among your employees. Instead, create a culture where decisions and ideas are freely shared and even ask for thoughts or buy-in from your staff. When you’re willing to share the thought process or reasoning behind a decision, employees will be more willing to invest in the overall vision and mission.

Career growth and development.

Another common trait between the various generations in the workplace is the need for continued job growth. No one wants to feel stagnant in their career, and as soon as they begin to feel restless, they may begin to look outside your organization for additional fulfillment. What can you do to encourage them to continue learning? This doesn’t mean they need a promotion six months into their job, but they do want to see that you want them to grow in your organization. It can be in leading projects, sending employees to conferences or investing in continuing education. A commitment from the company to the employee will increase the chances in a longer commitment from the employee to the company.

Rewards for milestones or accomplishments.

All of your employees want to feel appreciated as well. While the rewards themselves may be different between the generations, everyone wants to be recognized for the work they’ve contributed. Talk with your staff to find out what motivates them and how to properly reward them for their efforts. A great way to reinforce the culture and values of the company is to reward the behavior that models those values. Praising employees in a public forum (meeting, email newsletter) will be appreciated and noticed.

A sense of community.

Everyone on your staff is interested in creating a culture and community within the workplace. In fact, this may be an arena where millennials have higher expectations than their baby boomer counterparts. Collaboration and teamwork are a huge motivator for the younger generation and having an office culture that gives them a corporate identity is critical to their continued loyalty. Millennials want to feel that they have a sense of purpose and are making a difference. Establishing that feel through a sense of community is one great method.

Management is about so much more than delegating tasks. As a leader in the workplace, it is your role to motivate your staff and encourage growth. In many ways you can lead by example and be a strong role model, but that isn’t all. So what else can you do as a manager to ensure that your team are happy, excited to work, and engaged? There is a really simple way that far too many business leaders overlook. Get to know them! Here’s how.

Show interest.

Getting to know your employees on a personal level is a great way to encourage them professionally. They may care a lot about their jobs, but they also care about their other interests, their hobbies, and their families. When you embrace that your employees are more than machines, you can nurture their human side and encourage them to work hard and succeed.

Be friendly.

To do this, you need to make sure that you are friendly in the office. If you bark orders, are aggressive, or otherwise inaccessible, your employees will back off from you which will make management difficult. You don’t have to be their best friend, but you can treat them with respect and kindness.

Follow up.

When you learn about something exciting in their lives, make sure you follow up with it later. Ask them about their weekend. Ask them how their kids or pets are doing. Be specific with details, which will help them realize that you were listening and that you do have a vested interest in their happiness.

Set boundaries.

Lastly, you want to make sure you set professional boundaries. While it is perfectly okay to go to a happy hour event with your team, make sure that your behavior doesn’t cross a line into inappropriate. If you set boundaries that foster a professional and friendly relationship, this will easily carry over in the rest of the office and even between coworkers.

Hiring can be a very stressful task and take up a lot of your resources. At Meador Staffing, we have the recruiters and great relationships to help you fill any of your job openings. Contact our talented team today to work with one of the top staffing agencies in Texas.